1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to a cooling system of an internal combustion engine and, more particularly, to a cooling system that uses vortex enhancing cavities to improve the thermal communication between a stream of coolant and a region of the engine proximate a bore bridge between adjacent cylinders.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Certain types of engines comprise a plurality of cylinders that include bore bridges between them without any coolant path provided through the bore bridges. In engines of this type, a coolant is directed along the sides of an aligned plurality of cylinders without any coolant being directed between the cylinders or through the bore bridge.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,556, which issued to Kim on Mar. 30, 1999, describes a device for forming vortex in cooling water for cylinders. A device is provided for generating a vortex in cooling water for cylinders of internal combustion engines. In the device, a steel casing is inserted into the bottom portion of a cooling water passage of a cylinder head. The steel casing is comprised of inner and outer rings, with an annular cavity being formed between the two rings and allowing engine oil to pass through. A plurality of pressure units are radially mounted to the inner ring. Each of the pressure units is radially movable in opposite directions in response to the pressure of the engine oil in the annular cavity, thus forming vortex in the cooling water passing through the inner ring. The device of this enlarges the cooling water contact water area of the cylinder, thereby improving the cylinder cooling effect and increasing the engine output power.
The patent described above is hereby expressly incorporated by reference in the description of the present invention.
When the cylinders of an internal combustion engine are aligned without cooling passages therebetween, the region of the engine between the cylinders must rely on cooling from streams of coolant that are not in immediate thermal contact with the bore bridges. In situations like this, it is important that the velocity of coolant in the nearest cooling channels be sufficiently high to remove heat from the bore bridge as efficiently as possible. It is also important, when an open cooling system is used, that the velocity of the coolant be sufficiently high to remove corrosion products and hard water deposits from the cooling surfaces. Otherwise, these deposits can act as thermal insulators.